Louis Tomlinson opens up about being vulnerable during ‘How Did We Get Here?’ PH concert: ‘I was really struggling to compose myself’

Louis Tomlinson kicked off the Philippine leg of his How Did We Get Here concert by expressing his gratitude for being back in the Philippines, recalling fond memories of his previous visit.

“I just wanna say thank you so much for having me back. I don’t have the best memory, but I actually have a really clear memory the last time I was here, I had a great week… I’m Louis you know that already (and) this is my amazing band,” the singer-songwriter said.

The former One Direction member later became emotional during the latter part of the show, apologizing to fans for struggling to compose himself as he performed “Dark to Light” and the songs that followed. 

“I know I don’t need to do this, but I just wanna apologize for the last four or five songs since ‘Dark to Light’. I was really struggling to compose myself,” Louis admitted.

He then expressed how grateful he was to have an audience that made him feel safe enough to be vulnerable.

“I will say, I will say it takes a lot of bravery to sing a song like that, but also, I need the right audience. I need to be able to feel vulnerable. And I feel very very lucky to have an audience like you guys. Thank you very much!” the ‘Back To You’ hitmaker added.

The emotional moment carried added weight as “Dark to Light” has been reported to be a tribute to Tomlinson’s late One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne. This came a day after Payne’s second death anniversary on October 16.

Louis has continued to honor Liam’s memory. In a recent post on X, he paid tribute to his late bandmate, writing, “My hero. Always! Miss you every day brother.”

Towards the end of the concert, Louis thanked Filipino fans for their love and support, sharing how much their presence meant to him throughout the emotional night.

“Thanks for letting me be myself. I’ve been a bit vulnerable tonight. I’ve been feeling it and I felt your love in the room. Thank you, thank you very much. Probably could have done it with a bit of a cry earlier on, but here we are,” Louis said.

During the concert, Louis performed fan favorites such as ‘Lemonade,’ ‘Imposter,’ and ‘Miss You.’ He also delighted fans with a surprise performance of One Direction’s ‘Night Changes.’

The Manila stop of his How Did We Get Here? tour was presented by Live Nation Philippines.